14 April 2015

Affordable Cottage Bathroom Remodel

This past weekend, we did a quick remodel of our bathroom. My spouse repainted the walls, doors, and trim. He replaced the baseboard and the vanity, because water took a toll on our only bathroom, and the laminate started to come off the vanity. We have new baseboard that is a type of vinyl, but it looks like wood now that it is painted and caulked. My spouse is so handy from fixing everything around here that he works fast. The vanity and sink that we removed was donated to Stardust: Goodwill's version of a ReStore. The sink was in great condition.

Almost three years ago, we redid the bathroom; it was quite horrible to begin with. We did all the work ourselves except for fixing the plumbing. Fortunately, my sister lives about one minute away, (though about ten minutes to get into the place, because it is gated).

The result then was nice too; in fact, it is one of my more popular posts. It is a 5 x 8 shoebox bathroom. At the time I liked the vanity because it fit well and looked good with the floor, but it was not "cottage like" because, I could not find a vanity with the correct width and depth that would work. I could not buy custom, so I settled.

Recently, Ikea stocked one that had the look I was going for, and because it doesn't sit so close to the shower, and it's not laminate; it should last longer.

The new sink is really nice with a high back on it and the lip, which keeps the wall cleaner and the stuff from falling off the sink into the bathtub or toilet. (update: I noticed it has more surface room than the other, which is convenient if you are trying to put on makeup.)

At Home Goods I found a smaller storage cabinet with a marble top that has the same finish and reflects the style of the new sink console to hold the potions. Previously, our products were on a cart, but it was extremely messy and driving me crazy. I replaced all the knobs on both pieces and the linen's closet with Martha Stewart knobs, which were much nicer than the ones they wore.

What I like about the Ikea cabinet is that the plumbing does not take up space. It sits flush against the wall, so that we have large roomy drawers to store things in their organizers that are made to fit the drawers precisely. Any bit of extra space, storage, or organization is so essential in a small bathroom, especially if it is your only bathroom.

I rehung the same prints.

Linen closet and Charging Station: This use to be a closet for a swamp cooler, but we removed it, because it smelled musty or worse even with special paint, and we installed an organizer. It had outlets, so we can charge the phones here, and a radio is hidden in a basket. The curtain is removed, so you can see the knobs now match the bathroom. I found the baskets at Pottery Barn about six months ago.

We are really happy with the new white vanity look. My daughter said the bathroom looks coastal, because the changes look pretty with the aqua glass tiles and the slate floor with accents of aqua slate that we installed previously.

simple and white

Do you think it is sort of beachy or cottagey... neither are words.....

Welcome to our vintage 1940s cottage fixer: built when homes were a big petite 1000 square feet with sleeping porches for summer cool. I adore romantic, vintage, a ruffle of French, Nordic, and Swedish country with a sprinkle of cottage glam: a relaxed whimsical, elegance. It's our home, and there is painting, music, gardening, creating, living, kitties, french poodles, (and a pug)...imperfect with luster.

I think it could be either- BEACHY or COTTAGEY....and I love the way it looks. That is a perfect vanity for the room and amazing to find a matching piece somewhere else. Great job! Now you can love it for a long time! xo Diana

It looks really great and cottagey to me. It has inspired me as I also have a shoebox bathroom which definitely needs a budget makeover! I love how those tiles look against the wall colour, really classy.

Thank you, Sweet Auburn. We did the tile a couple of years ago, and it was not that expensive and not too hard to do ourselves with a little bit of patience. The white tile is pretty basic except it has a bit of a bevel so was inexpensive, and because it is small, we didn't need many of the aqua accents. xoxo

This is gorgeous! Everything is seamless. You have a talent. Seeing your redo was a gift - a peaceful, serene scene before my hectic day begins. I'm guessing that's how this new bathroom makes you feel as well.

Su, Your husband rocks - accomplished all the redo in record time! Your linen closet is pretty and organized. You lucked out finding PB baskets that fit perfectly. How about "cottagey" with a costal vibe!Looks pretty, I like a trio of prints being hung and the pictures add to the "beachy" feel.xoxo,Vera

Thank you, Vera. He does. I've had those prints a long time, and I love them. There are four of those prints, but it is hard to show the fourth; it makes a turn, and they are all lined up covering the little bit of wall like a pretty box.

I can't believe what you have done with a typical older Phoenix home. It's just beautiful! We live on the west side in Peoria, and my daughter is buying her first home here which also needs some work, but after seeing what you have done with your home, I'm not put off by it. I believe it can be turned into something lovely just like your home. Thanks for the inspiration. Your bathroom makeover is both beachy and cottagey.

Thank you, Joanie. When you walk into a home one kind of has to see it in the future, but I know that is hard! My spouse didn't even look at this house when it was for sale, because he can't tell. He just took my word that I knew what to do, and the inspector's. That's one of the reasons I started this blog. I love older homes, and there are so many older decent neighborhoods with affordable homes that need some fixing, and it is convenient to live in the city. This is the second home I gutted, and we have even built, but the two older homes that I fixed are my favorites, because they are quirky and turn out unique. Have a wonderful day.

Thank you, Rue. The walls and ceiling above the wide bead board are plaster. It was either tile the damaged lower walls or use these planks, because I was not going to replace plaster with with drywall. The lower walls were badly damaged by neglect and repaired plumbing. Have a wonderful day. xoxo

Thank you, Carol. My spouse's father was a carpenter, so he grew up working with him, but he became a chemist. So, he is meticulous, if you know what I mean. My father was a plumber, and if he took me to one of his jobs, I would watch, and I loved seeing the inside of homes. So we both come from "fix it" families, so we make a good team.

Very pretty and what a team! Your vision and your husband implementing it, just wonderful. Does having the window over the bathtub a concern for you? Probably for ventilation, like ours. I have a friend that lives in the old section in downtown Phoenix. I love the nooks and crannies in her house. Kathleen in Az

Beachy or cottagey I think it's just peachy! lol! I chose cottage really, because I love that look and live no where near a beach. But, it surely could go either way. Love the Ikea vanity and the cabinet from Home Goods! The storage area is just perfect!hugs,Jann

How lovely to have a refreshed 'new' bathroom. I think it is coastal cottage in style and my favorite part is the tile floors! The tile goes so well with your new wood like tile floors in the rest of your bungalow. It all turned out beautiful Su.

Thank you, Kim. It is really a nice look for the price. The sink is porcelain. It gives us more space on the floor than some of the other off the shelf ones that we could buy. Plus, something custom would cost and bit more, and off course, PB and RH have become so expensive.

Thank you, Gwen. I followed you too, via Bloglovin. I love what you did to your kitchen. Great choices. Unfortunately, I can't leave a comment on your blog, because I cannot fix my wordpress. If you had G+, I think I could leave a comment if I add you to my circle.

Oh, my! I love you! I've been looking for a bathroom cabinet and sink for months and I never thought to check Ikea! But I really love the one you chose. I'm off to check the site to see if they sell it in France. Your daughter is right, it gives a coastal look to your bathroom and I appreciate that you made me notice how convenient the sink was with its little back!

Thank you, Magali. I've been studying French, so I quickly looked too. They do; I saw it in two sizes there. I think there were three here, because one was too big. They also have the sink with the back, and the sink with the back with two basins, not a choice here. They also have another style not available here that looked cottage, if you change the legs, or the natural wood one if it is painted a color. I hope you find one that works!

Your bathroom is beautiful and I love absolutely everything about that room. You and your husband did a fabulous job transforming it. I'm really glad I found your blog today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend... :)

Thank you, Dore. It's such a small space and the only bathroom, that I am glad that it is more functional and neater. My spouse and I did all the cosmetic work this time and the last. It wasn't too expensive, because we didn't move any pipes, and we chose stock, classic finishes. Nothing trendy... It saves quite a bit. We put the aqua glass stripe around the inside, because old bathrooms that have not be repaired around here have a stripe of a different color; we tried to give it a nod to the past with something fresh.

Wow you did a great job.I love the new look....the new sink is beautiful<3 .We need to remodel our bathroom too...hopefully this summer.I hope ours gonna turn out as nice as yours.Have a wonderful SundayHugsCaroline

Stunning! Love all the light colors to keep the space airy and bright! The tile in the shower is gorgeous and the powder blue is really pretty against the dark brown floor. The linen closet looks great too! Love all the drawers. Hides all the clutter better than shelves! :)

I remember when you redid the bathroom, I loved it then and I love it now. I have a small bathroom as well that I need to renovate but the budget is not available this year so I will have to wait. I love the fact that yours still looks so fresh and great with simple touch ups 3 years later.

sujohnson

Christmas 2016

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Welcome to our vintage 1940s cottage fixer: built when homes were a big petite 1000 square feet with sleeping porches for summer cool. I adore romantic, vintage, a ruffle of French, Nordic, and Swedish country with a sprinkle of cottage glam: a relaxed whimsical, elegance. It's our home, and there is painting, music, gardening, creating, living, kitties, french poodles, (and a pug)...imperfect with luster.